Discovering Life’s Story: Biology’s Beginnings

Discovering Life’s Story #1

by Joy Hakim

Trace the history of life science in the first of a four-part MITeen series by mega-best-selling author Joy Hakim, who brought us The History of US .

When did we start learning the scientific secrets of life? Step back to the Islamic Golden Age, when scholars ask questions about life science and medicine that will establish those fields. Chart a path through the Renaissance, as Leonardo da Vinci dissects cadavers by candlelight to learn human anatomy firsthand. In this first of four volumes spanning hundreds of years of scientific innovation and discovery, follow the evolution of life science up to the late 1800s, when a baffled Dutch biologist finds a tiny infectious particle destroying tobacco crops and gives this particle a new virus . With Biology’s Discovering Life's Story , best-selling author Joy Hakim begins a quartet of volumes mapping the path of human discovery as we unlock the biological secrets of our own existence. Richly illustrated with archival source materials and fine art, this STEM treasure trove features a wealth of back matter certain to kindle the appetite of science lovers.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biology, History, Science, Nature

192 pages, Hardcover

First published September 12, 2023

About the author

I've just updated A HISTORY OF US to include some new stories, especially those on people who haven't had their full story told, like Native Americans and African Americans. I've been astounded by some of what I've learned, I think you will be too.


My husband and I live most of the year in Colorado. I grew up in Rutland, Vermont and graduated from Rutland High School. I earned a bachelor's degree in government at Smith College, a master's degree in education from Goucher College, as well as an honorary doctorate from Goucher.

I've been a teacher: in Syracuse, New York; Omaha, Nebraska; and Virginia Beach, Virginia. And I've taught in elementary school, middle school, high school, and in a community college.

I've also been a newspaper woman: a general reporter, a business reporter, and an associate editor and editorial writer at Norfolk's Virginian-Pilot.

We have three children and five grandchildren.

from: http://www.joyhakim.com/biography.html

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This month’s local library newsletter showcased this book as a “Staff pick.”

Many times...

I find myself attracted to books that staff have recommended, and so this is how I chose to read this one.

This is an exquisitely illustrated and beautifully written overview of the history of life sciences targeted for young readers.

Apparently…

It is the first in a planned four-volume series.

It is...

Readable. Compelling. Educating. Covering an immense time span. This type of book, encourages readers to critically think.

There are 12 chapters focusing on 2 or more scientists from a particular era, sharing their discoveries, their thoughts about those discoveries, and the impact of those discoveries on human society – then and now.

There are full-color reproductions of drawings, engravings, paintings, portraits, photographs and maps throughout that tell their own story.

With so much that can be learned on the life sciences...

This book deserves to be in libraries and classrooms.

Reading level: 13-18 years old, but, also interesting for adults.

[Randi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as part of a review for homeschool parents. This book would be a great addition to a high schooler's curriculum. Many adults would enjoy it as well. It weaves together science, history, and art to tell the story of how people made discoveries about the human body and micro-organisms. The art work and the stories of individual people help keep the reader's attention.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light, always a good time to go through some key historical information.

[Grrlscientist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Providing a readable and compelling overview of the history of life sciences, primarily in the Western World, this wonderfully written and exquisitely illustrated book, Discovering Life’s Story: Biology’s Beginnings (MITeen Press / Walker, 2023), is the first volume in a planned four volume series. This book follows the evolution of the life sciences up to the late 1800s, when a Dutch biologist spots a tiny infectious particle destroying tobacco crops, realizes it isn’t a bacteria, and names it a virus.

This readable book is written by Joy Hakim, a teacher who became a newspaper reporter and the widely celebrated author of A History of Us (Oxford University Press), a 10-volume series that sold more than 5 million copies, and inspired People Magazine to name her “the J.K. Rowling of the history world.”

This book covers an immense time span. We start by following the author back to the historic Islamic and Christian worlds and visit the world’s earliest libraries, when thinkers and scholars were asking fundamental questions about life that have shepherded the development of humanity’s knowledge of the life sciences and medicine since recorded time. For example, we read about Leonardo do Vinci’s candlelight dissections of human cadavers to learn about human anatomy first-hand, about Carl Linneaus’ ambitious quest to organize and name all living beings in his tome, Systema Naturae, thereby developing an enduring classification of life. We see how the invention of telescopes changed our view of our place in the universe and how microscopes opened our eyes to a world of microbes teeming with unseen life, and we see how Robert Koch discovers anthrax (I’m impressed that he didn’t accidentally infect himself with this deadly bacteria) before later developing his Four Postulates that link microbes to the diseases they cause.

In addition to educating her teen readers, the author encourages them to develop their critical thinking skills. In what is my favorite example of this process, she discusses the invention of the printing press, which led to the rise of literacy throughout society, which then served to increase peoples’ curiosity about living beings and the world itself.

Each of the book’s 12 chapters focuses two or more scientists from a particular era who were often each other’s contemporaries, interweaves the stories of what they discovered, how they made those discoveries, and these discoveries’ impacts on human society, then and now.

Every page of this fascinating book is adorned by sumptuous full-color reproductions of drawings, engravings, paintings, portraits, photographs and maps from history. Although the history of science is crammed with privileged and wealthy white men, sidebars highlight achievements and contributions of a few women and an African man enslaved by Cotton Mather.

Targeted to teens between 13 and 18 years old, adults will also find much in these pages to interest them. The author skillfully uses storytelling — narrative nonfiction — to teach her readers about the life sciences and the people who made these discoveries, placing these stories into their historical context, thereby drawing her readers into the story instead of keeping them at arms-length. And if this is not enough, the book also lists additional outside readings and a bibliography, along with source notes. The book series is projected to continue through Jennifer Doudna and Emanuelle Carpentier’s groundbreaking discovery of CRISPR-Cas9, a genome editing technology derived from bacteria.

This book, and the series, would make a great gift (the holidays are coming!) for a young person who is interested in the life sciences, and would be a welcome addition to a local library or classroom.


Originally published by Forbes on 2 October 2023.

[Zuzana Montagne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am just diving into Discovering Life’s Story: Biology’s Beginnings, but can already see that it is going to be an invaluable resource to me this year as I attempt to partner with my history teacher, who is covering ancient world history.

I love the lively prose, the way Hakim supports readers in making connections between science, history, culture, and math, and the vibrant, full-color images that support and add depth to the text. The decision to write in present tense is intriguing. I assume the intention is to make the ancient history seem more immediate. The book as an object is beautiful, as well, from the whimsical cover to the heavy, glossy pages.

I'm looking forward to sharing the book with my middle schoolers in the coming weeks. I think they will appreciate the clear prose, which is approachable yet respectful of the reader's maturity and intelligence. As an English teacher, I will appreciate Hakim's interesting and varied sentences, which provide ample opportunity to study sentence structure and punctuation in context. This book would be a strong addition to a classroom, or as a gift for an inquiring young individual.

[Ann Staats · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of browsing through Joy Hakim’s delightful book. First, the design is stunning. There are so many interesting diagrams and pictures. Then, the text is full of loads interesting tidbits about people, places, discoveries, thoughts of the world at various times in history, and innovative thinking. For example, I was fascinated to read about the ancient Incan empire where there were no wheeled vehicles, as well as no written language and no currency. Yet, the civilization was sophisticated and alternative methods and systems were put in place. The fun facts are amazing, too. For instance, Queen Elizabeth I rarely smiled due to the poor condition of her teeth. And what was her doctor’s solution? To rub sugar on them. I was also drawn into this book when reading about the thinkers of the world such as those who dissected human bodies to learn about the inner workings or those who went against conventional thinking by saying that the earth revolved around the sun. Truly, this book is a work of art. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and plan to go back to it again and again.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A look back at biology's beginnings from the "way back" in this small but mighty addition to nonfiction for teens. It uses text boxes, sidebars, and narration to give a detailed perspective from the Islamic Golden Age to perhaps the most fascinating part for me- Da Vinci's intricate anatomical drawings and major events like plagues.

Including plenty of pictures, paintings, and primary sources enriched the story.

"The University of Lauven will celebrate its six hundredth birthday in 2025. It is one of the oldest universities in the world and the oldest Catholic university. Desiderius Erasmus was a professor there in the fifteenth century. In 1497, he says this about teaching in a letter to his friend Christian Northoff: 'A constant element of enjoyment must be mingled with our studies, so that we think of learning as a game rather than a form of drudgery, for no activity can be continued for long if it does not to some extent afford pleasure to the participant.'"

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and rare blend between a reference book for young adults and a more detailed text book style format for undergraduate college reading. The illustrations and photographs add much to the enjoyment and dynamism, where plain text would have been too academic and dry, since it is mainly a series of short histories of the scientists (or natural philosophers before the term was invented!) and their breakthroughs/discoveries.

This first in the series begins around the Renaissance period or 16th-17th century, the classic Age of Enlightenment as it were, and the beginnings of scientific inquiry whether through experimentation or direct observation as in the case of surgery on human cadavers.